five votes - a west wing collection

xiii

A soft glow comes over the treetops, turning the world into a shimmering winter wonderland. The moment the sun cleared the trees, the world suddenly came to life- cardinals singing, horses whinnying to each other, and a lonely rabbit crunching through the snow. It may be cold, but it is certainly lively. But inside the farmhouse, there is a much different story.

Warm embers sat in the fireplace, glowing remnants of a night of laughter and warmth, board games and eggnog and cookies and not nearly enough sleep. The whole house seemed to emit a soft, quiet glow of pure love.

But eventually, the spell had to be broken. With the rising sun came waking hours, and Abigail Bartlet wasn't one for sleeping in. As the white sunlight crept between the curtains, Abbey slowly came to. Her eyes opened and be blinked a few times, staring out at the snow. She longed to snuggle back against her husband, to curl into his warmth, close her eyes, and try for just a bit more sleep. But memories of the night before reminded her that, no matter how cold it was, she had work to finish, and soon, before anyone else awoke.

Carefully extracting herself from Jed's arms, Abbey crawled out of bed. Her feet made contact with the cold hardwood floor, and she shivered despite her long flannel pajamas.

Glancing back, she made sure that Jed was still asleep before quietly creeping from the bedroom, doing her best not to let the floorboards creak as she slipped out.

In the hall, she glanced at the door to the guest bedroom. Still closed, and no sound coming from the room. She smiled softly, thinking about the night before. It had been a good night, a great night even, and her smile turned slightly mischievous as she thought about what she had planned for the day.

By the time Jed woke up, the entire house smelled of cinnamon, chocolate, and pine, along with the faint scent of smoke from the fire that Abbey had revived in the living room. He came downstairs and crept into the kitchen, where Abbey was preparing pancakes and hot cocoa. Quietly, he wrapped an arm around her waist to grab her hand. "Good morning, my love."

He nuzzled his nose in her hair and smiled as she turned to look at him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Good morning."

Jed tried to pull her away from the stove, but she slapped his arm. "Jed! You'll let the pancakes burn."

"I don't mind," he replied, and Abbey shook her head.

"You might not, but he will," Abbey replied, looking pointedly toward the dining room. Jed turned to see Leo, watching them with an amused expression.

"Morning, Jed," Leo grinned, taking a sip of his cocoa. He was using an old mug of Jed's that read 'No. 1 Dad', and Jed grinned at the sight.

"Morning, Leo," he replied. He smiled at his friend for an extra-long moment before blushing and turning back to his wife. "Do you need any help with anything?" He asked, moving back into the kitchen to grab his own mug.

She shook her head. "No, go ahead and talk to Leo," she replied, nudging him toward the dining room with a small peck. "I'll be out with food in a bit."

Leo leaned back, sipping from his mug. Or, rather, Jed's mug. They'd had a long night, a late night, staying up playing board games, arguing facts, trading money over poker. They'd danced to holiday music and drank warm apple cider and eaten cookies all night, talking about how excited they were to see everyone the next day. Zoey and Charlie were expected around lunch, while Ellie and Vic, Liz and the kids, and Mallory and her husband were supposed to arrive a little later. They would all be spending the night, and celebrating Christmas the next day. For the past few years, Josh, Donna, Sam, CJ, and Toby had joined them too, but recently they'd begun to fade away, staying with their own families for Christmas. Leo didn't mind maybe as much as he would have- they were all getting older, and it was about time they all got their own lives.

He was drawn from his thoughts as Abbey set a plate in front of him. He and Jed had been sitting quietly for a while, just drinking their cocoas in peace. After the laughter of the previous night, they had both been content to sit together in silence. And Abbey seemed content to join them in that way. She pulled up a chair and sat with a sigh, passing around the maple syrup.

The silence only lasted as long as the pancakes, though, and Leo glanced up as Abbey cleared her throat. "Well, boys," she began, and Leo inwardly groaned at the familiar gleam in her eyes. "I did the cooking, I figure it's only fair you two do the dishes, right?"

This time, Leo's groan was far less inward. Jed opened his mouth to protest, but Abbey shot the two of them a glare, and they picked up the plates. Jed grabbed Abbey's plate and Leo picked up the mugs. He went to move into the kitchen, but bumped into Jed in the doorway.

"Watch where you're going, huh?" Jed laughed, and Leo grinned ruefully, rolling his eyes. But as he did, he happened to glimpse something that made his face flush bright red.

"What?" Jed asked, but before Leo could respond, he heard a familiar giggle from the dining room and whirled to face Abbey as Jed looked up.

He heard a soft "oh" from behind as he gave Abbey a questioning look.

She stood from her seat at the table, grinning. "I've been trying for years, you know," she said by way of explanation. "You think I don't see- Jed, quit staring at it. Yes, it's mistletoe."

Leo glanced back to see Jed's eyes flash from the bunch tied to the doorway, to Abbey, then back to the mistletoe and to Leo. "What?"

"You think I don't see the two of you?" Leo turned back to Abbey. Her eyes were soft, and there was a caring smile on her face as she glanced between the two men. "And Jed, you might not always see it, but Leo and I have spent a lot of time together since the White House. Since before then, too- it's not like we can help it."

Leo glanced between Jed and Abbey, his confusion building slowly as Abbey stepped forward to join them in the doorway.

"What?" Jed asked again, and Leo was relieved to see that he wasn't the only one who was confused, and a little worried.

Sighing exasperatedly, Abbey grabbed Jed and pulled him into a kiss. Leo watched them, refusing to acknowledge the feelings growing in his chest, until Abbey abruptly pulled away. He opened his mouth to ask what on earth was going on, but was cut off by a pair of soft lips. For a second, he allowed himself to kiss back, to reach up and gently touch Abbey's hair, but suddenly, he remembered who she was and pulled back. "Abbey-"

But he was cut off again, this time by a different pair of lips. This kiss was needy, was jealous, reminded him of dorm rooms and at Notre Dame, of stolen moments in the Oval Office, of a secret homecoming from Vietnam.

When Leo finally drew away, catching his breath, he looked between Abbey and Jed, and the feeling in his chest swelled, the love overpowering the jealousy, the nervousness, the fright. Slowly, he smiled.

Jed smiled back, a slow grin, and Abbey reached out, taking both of their hands. They stood in the doorway in silence for a few seconds, before Abbey finally spoke up. "It may be Christmas Eve and all, but you two still have to do the dishes." She glanced purposefully at the stack of plates and mugs that Leo suddenly realized he'd set down. He glanced at them, too, then back at Abbey, and a grin split his face before the three of them burst into giddy laughter.

"Come on, you two, I'll help dry them," Abbey laughed, disappearing into the kitchen. Still grinning, Jed and Leo glanced at each other before following her out.